Block valve for vacuum line or network with emergency input

ABSTRACT

Block valve with emergency input, in particular for vacuum line or network, comprising a valve body traversed by a main fluid passage between a first orifice located at an upstream end of the said main passage and a second orifice located at a downstream end of the said main passage. The valve body further comprises a control device comprising a member operable manually by an operator and movable between at least an open position in which the said control device allows fluid communication between the first and second orifices, and a closed position in which the said control device interrupts any fluid communication between these orifices. An auxiliary fluid passage is fluidly connected via its upstream end to the said main passage between the control device and the first orifice, and comprises a third orifice at its downstream end.

This application claims priority from EP07301148.8 filed Jun. 26, 2007.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a valve useable on a vacuum line or network ofvacuum lines, in particular a network of vacuum lines arranged in ahospital building.

2. Related Art

In the operating, emergency, intensive care or hospitalization rooms, itis common to use medical gases, such as oxygen, air, N₂O/O₂ mixtures,etc., to treat medium-term and long-term patients, and also foremergency operations. These gases are conveyed to their site of use inthe hospital either in gas cylinders or similar, or via a gas line ornetwork of lines arranged in the hospital.

Similarly, it is also common to arrange therein a vacuum line or anetwork of vacuum lines, that is lines under negative pressure, alsorunning through the various sites or rooms where the vacuum is needed,in particular the treatment rooms, operating theatres, bedrooms, etc.Vacuum is in fact used there to draw off various liquids, such as blood,mucous, body fluids or similar, during the treatment provided to thepatients.

A vacuum network comprises one or more lines in which a negativepressure is maintained by means of one or more vacuum pumps or othersimilar vacuum generating devices. This is called a negative pressurenetwork or vacuum network, because the pressure prevailing therein islower than the atmospheric pressure, that is lower than 10⁶ Pa (=1 bar).

The use of a vacuum network in a hospital environment is described inparticular in document EP-A-1026567 which can be referred to for furtherdetails on this type of installation.

In fact, it may happen that the vacuum network can no longer perform itsnormal role because it suffers a failure or an accidental andunforeseeable interruption, for example due to damage caused to thefluid feed pipes, to the members for controlling, regulating andinterrupting the flow of the various fluids in circulation.

It is then vitally necessary to guarantee a continuous presence ofvacuum in the various operating rooms or similar.

For this purpose, it has been proposed by European patent applicationNo. 07300937.5 filed by the Applicant to use a mobile functional unitfor ensuring temporary distribution of medical gas and vacuum,comprising one or more standby medical gas cylinders for guaranteeingcontinuous distribution of the medical gases, and also a vacuum pump forcreating a negative pressure in the line to which it is connected,thereby to guarantee continuous distribution of the vacuum.

One problem that arises is to be able to connect such a mobile uniteasily and rapidly to the hospital vacuum network in case of failure ofthe vacuum network, in order to avoid any interruption of the vacuumdistribution in the hospital or similar. The failure on the centralvacuum network may be due for example to a problem in the vacuum plantor, obviously, on the distribution network, for example caused by abreak of external vacuum lines during maintenance operations or similar.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to propose a device forconnecting the vacuum network rapidly and simply to a mobile vacuum unitor any other standby vacuum source.

One solution of the invention is a block valve with emergency input, inparticular for vacuum line or network, comprising a valve body traversedby a main fluid passage between a first orifice located at an upstreamend of the said main passage and a second orifice located at adownstream end of the said main passage (2), the said valve body furthercomprising:

a control device arranged on the said main passage, comprising a memberoperable manually by an operator and movable between at least:

-   -   an open position in which the said control device allows fluid        communication between the first and second orifices, and    -   a closed position in which the said control device interrupts        any fluid communication between the first and second orifices,        and        -   an auxiliary fluid passage fluidly connected via its            upstream end to the said main passage between the control            device and the first orifice, the said auxiliary passage            comprising a third orifice at its downstream end.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The structure and operation of a vacuum block valve with emergency inputaccording to the invention suitable for cooperating with a mobilestandby functional unit is shown schematically in the figures appendedhereto, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a vacuum valve according to the invention withits fastening support,

FIGS. 2 a and 2 b show the operation of the valve FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an internal operating diagram of the valve in FIG. 1 (planview),

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the valve in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 5 is a view of a mobile standby functional unit to which the valvein FIG. 1 can be connected.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to each case, the valve of the invention may comprise one ormore of the following features:

a shutter device shuts the third orifice, when the control device is inthe open position,

the upstream and downstream ends of the main passage having the firstand second orifices, respectively, and the downstream end of theauxiliary passage having the third orifice, are provided with connectingmeans suitable and designed for connecting lines to the said ends,preferably the connecting means (4) are or comprise outer or innerthreads,

the control device comprises a rotating member operable by the operatorbetween the said open and closed positions,

the valve body is formed of two sub-units which are joined to oneanother, the first sub-unit comprising the part of the main passagecomprising the downstream end of the said main passage with the secondorifice and the control device, and the second sub-unit comprising thepart of the main passage comprising the upstream end of the said mainpassage with the first orifice and the auxiliary passage with the thirdorifice,

a negative pressure gauge is connected to the main passage or to theauxiliary passage between the control device and the first orifice orthe third orifice,

the valve body comprises a fastening device suitable and designed forfastening the said valve body to a support, in particular to a wall,

the control device is an on/off type ball valve,

it comprises an orifice for connection to a negative pressure sensor,

the auxiliary fluid passage comprises a third orifice at its downstreamend provided with a threaded plug which provides tightness when it isclosed, preferably the said third orifice is designed and suitable forconnecting a flexible tube connected to a standby device.

For a further understanding of the nature and objects for the presentinvention, reference should be made to the detailed description, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which like elements aregiven the same or analogous reference numbers.

The valve 1 of the invention can be installed on a wall, essentially toreplace a possible block valve of the conventional vacuum circuitpossibly connected to a central vacuum installation comprising one ormore vacuum pumps, preferably at least three vacuum pumps, in order tobe connectable to the vacuum connector provided on the back wall of themobile functional unit, such as described in European patent applicationNo. 07300937.5, by means of an appropriate line, such as a flexiblecoupling of which the opposite ends are threaded.

The valve 1 comprises two sub-parts or sub-units 12, 13 joined to oneanother, that is a first sub-unit 12 equipped with a control device 5,such as a manually controlled on/off ball valve, and a second sub-unit13 for connection to the functional unit 1 or similar.

This second sub-unit 13 is associated with a pressure gauge 11 formonitoring the negative pressure in the valve body 1.

The valve body 1 may also be provided with a pressure sensor arranged atthe third orifice 2 c, for example a dedicated orifice located under thevalve can be provided for this sensor 30, as shown in FIG. 4, located atthe downstream end of the auxiliary passage 22.

The two sub-units 12, 13 are connected together in the manner shown inthe exploded partial view in FIG. 4.

The sub-unit 12 comprises a valve, preferably of the on/off type, orclosure device 5 with progressive control by a member or handle operablemanually by the operator in the open and closed positions, or viceversa.

The sub-unit 13 comprises a connector that comprises a coupling threadedat its downstream end having the third orifice 2 c normally closed by aplug 6 or similar, which is itself threaded, the said orifice 2 c beinglocated towards a standby functional unit like the one shown in FIG. 5.

The sub-units 12, 13 communicate fluidly together so as to form aninternal conduit which enables the vacuum to flow in the direction ofthe arrow F in the main passage 2 or, as required, of the auxiliarypassage 22 of the valve body 1. In fact, the valve of the invention isdesigned and suitable for managing the continuity of vacuum or negativepressure supply, whether the negative pressure is due to a failure ofthe vacuum plant or of the standby functional unit.

Fastening means 10, such as a support flange or any similar fasteningdevice, are provided to support the sub-units 12, 13 of the valve body 1and to facilitate its installation on a wall.

When the vacuum supply fault status appears in the vacuum network towhich the valve of the invention is connected, the operable member 5 ofthe control means can be actuated by an operator to block the mainpassage 2 on which the valve 1 is inserted, as shown in FIG. 3.

In the context of the present invention, “vacuum network” means a linewhich is branched or a plurality of lines optionally connected to oneanother and within which vacuum prevails, that is a negative pressure,that is a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure (<10⁶ Pa). Thisvacuum is obtained by connecting the vacuum network fluidly to one ormore vacuum pumps, as described in particular in document EP-A-1026567.

Furthermore, the shutter 6 is removed from the downstream end of theauxiliary passage 22 in order to release the third orifice 2 c locatedat the downstream end of the said auxiliary passage 22 to which a mobilestandby functional unit is then connected, comprising a vacuum pump, viaa line, such as a flexible line, thereby serving to maintain the vacuumnetwork under vacuum because the suction of the vacuum, that is theplacing of the valve body 1 and of the network to which the valve of theinvention is connected, under negative pressure, occurs by means of thevacuum pump located in the mobile standby unit.

Conventionally, such a flexible line is provided at its two ends with athreaded coupling or similar connecting means, and an operator cantherefore connect it to an appropriate connection located on the mobilestandby unit (FIG. 5), on the one hand, and to the downstream end withthe third orifice 2 c of the valve body 1 according to the invention,thereby to restore the vacuum distribution supplied by the vacuum pumpof the mobile standby unit.

FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of the valve in FIG. 1, where it may beobserved that the valve body 1 is formed of the two sub-units 12, 13 orblocks which are joined to one another, for example by screwing to oneanother or via any other fastening means.

The first sub-unit 12 comprises the part of the main passage 2comprising the downstream end at which the second orifice 2 b islocated, that is the vacuum outlet if the vacuum is considered to passthrough the valve body 1 in the direction of the arrow F in FIG. 1, andthe control device operable by the operator.

More precisely, the control device comprises:

a rotating member 5 operable by the operator,

seals called “PTFE washers for the valve” 16 and 21 which guarantee thetightness of the sphere 14,

a sphere 14 which, when actuated by the rotating member 5, makes a 90°rotation and serves to “close the passage”, so that the vacuum is thensupplied by the standby gas source and no longer by the vacuumproduction plant,

a dowel 17 which, by fitting into the sphere 14, serves to rotate thesphere 14 when the rotating element 5 is actuated by the operator, ashell 18 suitable for joining the two blocks 12 and 13 of the valvedevice,

a silicone O-ring for the tightness connected to the second block of thevalve.

In fact, the control device is preferably an on/off type ball valve inwhich the rotation of the rotating member 5 causes the rotation of thesphere 14, via the dowel 17, thereby allowing or interrupting the vacuumflow in the part of the main passage 2 arranged in the first sub-unit 12and hence through the downstream orifice 2 b.

Furthermore, the second sub-unit 13 comprises the part of the mainpassage 2 comprising the upstream end at which the first orifice 2 a islocated, that is the vacuum end inlet located towards the vacuumproduction plant if the vacuum is considered to pass through the valvebody 1 in the direction of the arrow F in FIG. 1, and also the auxiliarypassage 22 with the third orifice 2 c, the said auxiliary passage 22 isconnected to the main passage 2 inside the second sub-unit 13, that isupstream of the control device, in order to divert the vacuum throughthe third orifice 2 c, when the blocking means 6, such as a screwed plugor cap or similar, is removed and releases the said third orifice 2 c.

In fact, in normal operation, a blocking device 6 plugs the thirdorifice 2 c and thereby prevents any passage of the vacuum through thisthird orifice 2 c.

On the contrary, the blocking device 6 is removed when a vacuumdistribution problem occurs, which requires interrupting the passage ofthe vacuum in the first sub-unit 12 by actuating the rotating member 5of the control device 5, 17, 14, as shown in FIG. 3.

In fact, the control device 5, 17, 14 comprises a rotating member 5operable by the operator between an open position (FIG. 2 a) allowingthe vacuum to flow in the passage 2 and a closed position (FIG. 2 b)preventing the vacuum from flowing in the passage 2.

FIG. 5 is a diagram (side view) of a mobile standby unit 50 comprising abottom 53 provided with wheels 51 and surmounted by side panels 52forming an enclosure for placing the gas cylinders and a vacuum pumpwhich are connected to connectors 53 to 58 carried by one or more of thesaid panels 52. These connectors 53 to 58 serve to provide a standbyfeed of gas (O₂, air, etc.) or of vacuum in case of failure of the gassources or of the vacuum network.

However, it should be observed that the valve 1 of the invention has astructure and an operation that are completely independent of such amobile standby unit 50 to which it may be connected. It is thereforepossible to associate the valve 1 of the invention with medical gasdistribution installations independently of the presence of such amobile standby unit 50. It should be observed that the fact that thevalve is compact and already prearranged with a built-in vacuum gauge,and at a location suitable for receiving the negative pressure sensor(vacuum switch) is also an original and uncommon feature for a blockvalve.

In other words, according to the invention, a block valve for the vacuum“distributed” by the central distribution network is incorporated in thehospital vacuum network or similar, the said valve enabling an operatorto immediately and simply switch the vacuum supply to a standby vacuumsource, in order to guarantee continuous distribution of vacuum in thevarious sites where it needs to be used in the hospital building.

It will be understood that many additional changes in the details,materials, steps and arrangement of parts, which have been hereindescribed in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be madeby those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of theinvention as expressed in the appended claims. Thus, the presentinvention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments inthe examples given above.

What is claimed is:
 1. A block valve with emergency input, comprising avalve body traversed by a main fluid passage between a first orificelocated at an upstream end of the said main passage and a second orificelocated at a downstream end of the main passage, the valve body furthercomprising: a control device arranged on the main passage, comprising anon/off type ball valve operable manually by an operator and movablebetween at least: an open position in which the control device allowsfluid communication between the first and second orifices, and a closedposition in which the control device interrupts any fluid communicationbetween the first and second orifices, and an auxiliary fluid passagefluidly connected via its upstream end to the main passage between thecontrol device and the first orifice, the auxiliary passage comprising athird orifice at its downstream end, the third orifice having a shutterdevice that shuts the third orifice when the control device is in theopen position wherein a negative pressure gauge is connected to the mainpassage or to the auxiliary passage between the control device and thefirst orifice or the third orifice.
 2. A block valve with emergencyinput, comprising a valve body traversed by a main fluid passage betweena first orifice located at an upstream end of the said main passage anda second orifice located at a downstream end of the main passage, thevalve body further comprising: a control device arranged on the mainpassage, comprising an on/off type ball valve operable manually by anoperator and movable between at least: an open position in which thecontrol device allows fluid communication between the first and secondorifices, and a closed position in which the control device interruptsany fluid communication between the first and second orifices, and anauxiliary fluid passage fluidly connected via its upstream end to themain passage between the control device and the first orifice, theauxiliary passage comprising a third orifice at its downstream end, thethird orifice having a shutter device that shuts the third orifice whenthe control device is in the open position wherein the upstream anddownstream ends of the main passage having the first and secondorifices, respectively, and the downstream end of the auxiliary passagehaving the third orifice, are provided with connecting means suitableand designed for connecting lines to the ends, wherein the controldevice comprises a rotating member operable by the operator between theopen and closed positions, wherein the valve body is formed of twosub-units which are joined to one another, the first sub-unit comprisingthe part of the main passage comprising the downstream end of the mainpassage with the second orifice and the control device, and the secondsub-unit comprising the part of the main passage comprising the upstreamend of the said main passage with the first orifice and the auxiliarypassage with the third orifice, and wherein a negative pressure gauge isconnected to the main passage or to the auxiliary passage between thecontrol device and the first orifice or the third orifice.
 3. The valveof claim 2, wherein the valve body comprises a fastening device suitableand designed for fastening the valve body to a support.